Fire 1 - 1 Red Bulls

Red Bull goalie Bouna Coundoul allowed a very soft goal in the 58th minute, cancelling out midfielder Joel Lindpere’s first half strike just three days after backup keeper Greg Sutton cost his team a goal in Thursday’s 4-2 loss at Seattle.

After a slow start, the match opened up in the 15th minute. Chicago snuffed out a half chance in their box and launched a counter down the right wing. Winger Marco Pappa played forward Dominic Oduro behind the Red Bull defense, allowing the speedy striker to cut in along the end line and hit a dangerous cross that New York center back Steven Keel did well to cut out.

The Red Bulls had another chance in the 20th. Forward Dwayne De Rosario rounded a Fire defender with a gorgeous turn before picking out wide open winger Dane Richards on the right edge of the 18. Richards ran onto the ball and shot with his first touch, forcing Fire goalie Sean Johnson to parry the hard 15-yard effort over the crossbar.

Johnson made another good stop in the 26th minute, diving toward his right post to stop a low 30-yarder from Lindpere.

The Fire had a good chance in the 32nd. Defender Gonzalo Segares played winger Patrick Nyarko through on the left wing. Nyarko shed his marker and picked out forward Orr Barouch at the back post, but the rookie striker couldn’t keep his six-yard header on target, rolling it inches wide of the far post.

Lindpere put New York ahead with an opportunistic goal in the 40th. Fire center back Yamith Cuesta flubbed a clearance at the top of the 18, hitting the ball right at Lindpere who collected and calmly slotted his 15-yard shot past the onrushing Johnson

Chicago started the second half brightly, nearly equalizing in the 48th. A New York player flicked Chicago midfielder Baggio Husidic’s corner to the back post and Oduro just missed getting on the end of it for what would’ve been a tap in goal.

The Fire had another opportunity in the 53rd. New York defender Carlos Mendes fouled Oduro just outside the box, giving Chicago a 22-yard free kick that Pappa curled just wide of the far post.

Coundoul gifted the Fire a goal in the 58th minute. Pappa took a speculative shot from 30 yards, bouncing a left footed effort toward the far post. Coundoul got to the ball in plenty of time, but whiffed on his attempted parry and the ball trickled into the net.

The game settled down a bit after Pappa’s goal, with the next chance not coming until the 75th minute, when Keel narrowly missed the frame with his diving header of a Lindpere corner.

Coundoul had two huge plays in the 80th and 81st minutes. He made a very nice stop on substitute forward Diego Chaves’ 15-yard shot, then came up with an improbable block on an Oduro cross scarcely a minute later.

The Fire have now tied six home matches in a row – a MLS record. They play at Rochester in the U.S. Open Cup on Tuesday and return to league play on Saturday at Chivas USA.

The tie keeps New York in second place in the East, two points behind Philadelphia for the top spot. The Red Bulls host FC New York in the Open Cup on Tuesday and travel to San Jose for a league match on Saturday.